Another shooting leaves three people wounded after gunman opens fire inside a hospital before being shot dead by police

Less than 24 hours after the horrific school shooting in Connecticut, a gunman opened fire inside an Alabama hospital early Saturday morning, leaving three injured.

A police officer has shot and killed the unnamed suspect accused of wounding another cop and two employees at St Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham.

Police Sgt. Johnny Williams toldAl.com that the injuries to wounded officer and employees were not life-threatening.

Crime scene: A lone gunman entered St Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, and opened fire, injuring a police officer and two staffers

Neutralized: The shooter was killed by a second police officer outside ab elevator bank on the fifth floor of the hospital

‘The situation is under control and the
hospital is secure and stable,’ said Liz Moore, Vice President of
Marketing and Communications. ‘There are no interruptions to any patient
care services at this time.’

According to investigators, the gunman entered the hospital at around 4am and went up to the fifth floor, CBS42reported.

Standing outside an elevator bank, officials said the man pulled out a handgun and opened fire, injuring a police officer who responded to the scene and two hospital staffers.

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Another officer returned fire, shooting the perpetrator to death. The injured cop and the two other victims were taken to UAB Hospital for treatment.

‘We believe this was a totally isolated incident. We don't believe there was anyone else involved with this shooter at this time,’ Sgt. Williams said.

While police have not released a motive, sources told AL.com that the gunman was removed from the hospital at 8pm the night before after becoming upset over the care of his wife, who is a patient at St. Vincent’s.

According to the sources, the man briefly took a security guard hostage, but the guard escaped.When he returned to the hospital in the morning, sources said the man talked about ‘meeting his maker.’

Police will release the suspect's identity after his family is notified, according to Williams. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation will probe the shooting along with the local police department.

Victims: The police officer and two hospital workers hurt in the shooting suffered non life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover

According to a hospital employee, a ‘Code Silver’ was called across the intercom alerting staff to a threat involving a weapon, WSFAreported.

The hospital shooting comes on the heels of the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which has left 20 small children and seven adults dead Friday morning.

Moore said the hospital has taken additional security precautions in light of the school tragedy.

‘We review everything in great detail,’ she said. ‘We'll be relying on
our experts to help make some suggestions for how we can offer a safe
and secure environment for our patients and visitors.’